A racial abuse allegation made by a Gillingham player has been thrown out by the Football Association.

Details of last month’s case have just recently been released by the Football Association’s disciplinary department, regarding an incident that took place back in September.

It reported that Gills midfielder Emmanuel Osadebe claimed he was called a “f****** n****r” by a Bournemouth player during a heated exchange at an under-21 Premier League Cup match.

It was a claim backed up by fellow Gills player Darren Oldaker.

But Italian Filippo Costa, who was charged by the FA following the alleged incident, was cleared of any wrongdoing by a Football Association Regulatory Commission.

Costa was on loan at Bournemouth during the time but has since returned to parent club Chievo.

The incident was reported by referee Jamaal Horne after he was approached by Osadebe towards the end of the first half.

The Gills player told the referee that Costa had “just called me a n****r.”

Oldaker had intervened during the exchange between the two players, pulling his team-mate away. A statement by Oldaker backed up the claim made by Osadebe.

It was claimed that Osadebe had called Costa a “f****** c***,” something the Gills player “could not be certain” about.

“Our conclusion from this was that Mr Osadebe did not hear Mr Costa say “f****** n****r” and that it was more likely than not that he didn’t say it" - FA report

The investigation highlighted inconsistencies with what was shown on the video and what the Gillingham players stated during their submissions, which proved crucial.

The findings stated that: “Contrary to Mr Osadebe’s evidence, the video did not show that he was surprised or shocked during the brief conversation. Neither did it show that Mr Osadebe had intended to confront Mr Costa.

“If fact, Mr Osadebe did not break stride during the exchange until he was approached by Mr Oldaker, after which Mr Osadebe approached the referee and Mr Oldaker approached Mr Costa.

“Our conclusion from this was that Mr Osadebe did not hear Mr Costa say “f****** n****r” and that it was more likely than not that he didn’t say it.

“We had no reason to doubt the honesty of either Mr Osadebe or Mr Oldaker and we concluded that Mr Oldaker genuinely, but mistakenly, thought that he had heard Mr Costa say the phrase.”